Hiking to the Monastery in Petra & Saranda, Albania

Above is a video I made called “Hiking to the Monastery in Petra“. So many people roll into Petra filled with popcorn and pretzels who are too lazy to make the hike. There are donkeys you can ride but save a donkey and just walk it yourself. I think if you go to Petra and don’t make it to the Monastery, you’re missing half the fun. The treasury is for sure the main event but the monastery is just as impressive.

What else is impressive is some of the views you can get from up there. You can also go inside the monastery but it’s just this big square room; similar to the treasury actually. Once you pass the treasury there are all these ruins and obviously some cool stuff to see but trust me, book it to the monastery if you’re only there for a day or so.

If you want a cool beer, glass of wine or both like a true glutton when you’re done; the Crown Plaza inside Petra serves it. If you’ve got some extra cash, stay at the Movenpick when you’re there because it’s literally just across the street. Petra is one of those spots that is a UNESCO site for good reason and when leaving the area, you’ll never find it hence it took so long for this lost city to be rediscovered…

I’m writing this from Saranda, Albania; yes Albania! I took a ferry from Corfu yesterday and now here I am. The place is beautiful by day and shady as by night. That said, it’s November 1st and I might just go for a swim, couple that with incredible value and somewhat / not really / ok kinda friendly people and it’s not so bad. I’ve rented an apartment on the ocean with a slick view. I’m tired so catching up on everything for a few days won’t kill me.

Oh yeah, seems like every missing Mercedes in Europe ends up here. Everyone has one, I’ve even thought of buying one and just driving around blaring music while donning a track suit but it’s more a fantasy than anything really. I bought a beer last night for $0.66 and it was delicious.

I’ve now visited every country in the Balkans and this peninsula is one of my favorite parts in this world. I’ve also gotten some good news about the Azores which are going to become my WHQ until I fall in love with somewhere else. Little Corn Island is great but it’s a node, not a hub if that makes sense. I need to get down there this winter but I really want to see the South Pacific.

I warn you now though, travel will ruin you. I can’t imagine settling anywhere because every week or month I find somewhere else that I really love. Sometimes I think the luckiest people in the world are those that marry their high school sweetheart and never travel. All they know is what they’ve known their whole life and for the most part, they seem pretty happy.

I digress and time to get a sim card.

 

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